SACRAMENTO – At its board meeting in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 14, the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) board of directors approved supporting Proposition 28 – the legislative term limits reform measure, which will be on the June 2012 ballot.

“As an organization, we should support things that help rural counties achieve their policy goals,” said Sierra County Supervisor Lee Adams. “By having prospective legislators potentially serve 12 years in office allows more stability and provides members time to develop expertise in governing. In turn, this helps RCRC members since we rely on the legislature to fund many of our programs and various mandates.”

Additionally, the RCRC board voted to support moving forward with the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

The MOA – crafted between RCRC, the California State Association of Counties, the USFS and BLM – prescribes communication protocols between counties and the U.S. Forest Service to minimize misunderstanding pertaining to forest and public lands.

“Crafting this agreement has been a long and arduous process,” said RCRC board chair and Colusa County Supervisor Kim Dolbow Vann.

“While rural counties and the U.S Forest Service have shared a partnership in managing federal lands, we have had some difficulties,” Vann said. “This MOA will help improve relationships by facilitating on-going communication; assuring a consistent process and outcomes; and recognizing that RCRC and its member counties are government partners, not just public stakeholders.”

NICE, Calif. – The Sons of Italy in Nice will have a very special visitor at an upcoming event.

The club is pleased to have Maria Fassio Pignati, president of the Order of Sons of Italy in America Grand Lodge of California, at its next dinner dance.  

The event will be held in the hall, on Saturday, March 24, at 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

It is so important that longtime club and community member Sue Lewis, who once owned the Aurora Club, will share an old recipe from her restaurant.  

Many know the place as a campground but it was once a panoramic bar and resort on the shores of Nice, a hot spot of Lake County.  

Lewis, who is a past president of the lodge, will share the secret of making a scrumptious meal with guest chefs Deb and Duane Clarke during the preparation.

It should be a lively affair as there are several birthdays that night, including past president Rosalie Sonnenburg.  

The club hopes to have a good turn out, as profits will be going to items needed for a May 19 “Night on the Titanic” mystery dinner fundraiser for the Miss Lake County Scholarship fund.  

The dinner will include Italian pot roast, mashed potatoes, red sauce pasta, salad, sautéed green beans, French bread, dessert, coffee or tea.  

The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m., dinner starts at 6 p.m., then dancing to the band The High Notes starts after the meal.

The cost will be $15 for everything.

Everyone is welcome; there is no need to be a member.

Please call to reserve a table so you can sit with your friends or if you plan on bringing a lot of people.

For information about this event or renting the hall for your own, call 707-274-9952.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Kelseyville area churches are working together to offer the hungry in the Kelseyville/Finley area an opportunity to receive food for themselves and their families.  

The food giveaway will be held the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kelseyville Methodist Church, located on Main Street in Kelseyville.

At this time, they are looking for donations of nonperishable items such as soups, stews, canned fruit and vegetables, rice, beans, powdered milk, chili, hot or cold cereal, as well as donations of paper bags and people to help pack the bags the day before and staffing the day of the giveaway.

If you can help, please call Julie at Kelseyville Presbyterian Church at 707-279-1104.

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) has been appointed to the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care by the Judicial Council of California.

Her term will run from March 1 2012 through June 30, 2014.

The commission is charged with making recommendations to the Judicial Council on strategies to improve the state’s foster care system and juvenile courts.  

“I am honored to serve on a commission that provides access to justice children who need a voice in the system,” said Evans. “The foster care and the judicial systems must work together diligently to protect the children in our care.”

Evans represents the Second Senatorial District, including all or portions of the Counties of Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma. Senator Evans Chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Committee on Judiciary.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Join Adrianna Guardado, member of the Blue Heron 4-h club, in raising money for Meals on Wheels through the March for Meals fundraiser.

Lakeport Senior Center provides more than 55,000 meals annually to seniors with less than 25 percent of the cost of each meal covered by government, state and county grants.

The remainder of the money must be raised through fundraising efforts like this March for Meals.

As part of Guardado's emerald star project, she has joined with Lakeport Senior Center in raising awareness and donations for this event.

Every penny counts. Donation jars have been placed in in the following stores throughout Lakeport: Taqueria la Mexicana, Fiesta Market, Touch of Class, Lake Country Furniture, Flowers By Jackie, Park Place, Watershed Books, Perko's, Rays BBQ, Pet Country, Union Tattoo Studio and the Lake County 4H Office.

Donations could also be made at your local senior center.

Guardado encourages everyone to participate in the March for Meals, hosted by Lakeport Senior Center, through the town starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 31. The march begins at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave., to the Meals on Wheels new Thrift Store at 120 North Main St.

Come out and show your support for Lake County seniors.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Karan Mackey, owner of Lakeport English Inn Bed and Breakfast, has joined the Lake County Quilt Trail.

The quilt block Mackey chose is dedicated to her mother, Ruth Henry.

She chose Double Wedding Ring because this pattern was her grandmother’s favorite design.

The quilt block was hung on the bed and breakfast located at 675 N. Main St. (at the corner of Seventh Street), on Saturday, March 3, 2012. GPS location:  N39°02’47” W122°54’55”.

“My mother showed me the joy of quilting,” said Mackey. “Her joy is in making quilts and mine is in buying quilts.”

In 1875, Sarchel Bynum built a home on this location and it remains part of the historical inn.

The residence has played an active role in Lakeport’s history.

In 1881, a doctor practiced medicine on the lower level and his family lived upstairs.

In the late 1920s, it became the first Lake County hospital.

Be sure and look for the surgery sign displayed in the inn’s window.
 
In 1946, the hospital moved to Lakeshore Boulevard. Thereafter, the building returned to being a  family residence.

The Manning family and Mackey family lived in the house for  30 years each.

Phase II of the Lake County Quilt Trail is now complete. A total of 25 quilt blocks are hung on family barns and public buildings throughout Lake County.  

For information and a printable map, go to www.lakecountyquilttrail.com .

The all-volunteer Lake County Quilt Trail project team is gearing up for phase III and will begin painting in May or earlier if warm weather arrives.  

To apply for your own quilt barn display, contact Bethany Rose, 707-263-5744, or visit Kerrie’s Quilting Shop at 1853 N. High St., or call, 707-263-8555.